Washington: Indian-American Kash Patel was sworn in as the FBI director here on Friday. Patel, who took oath on Bhagavad Gita, was accompanied by his partner Alexis Wilkins.

Patel, 44, was confirmed on Thursday by a narrow vote in the Republican-led Senate, 51 to 49, and becomes the first Indian-American to lead the country’s premier law enforcement agency.

"I think he'll go down as the best ever at that position," President Donald Trump told reporters Friday ahead of the White House swearing-in, which was conducted by Attorney General Pam Bondi and attended by Republican supporters in Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

After his confirmation, Patel posted on X," I am honoured to be confirmed as the ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Thank you to President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for your unwavering confidence and support."

In his new position, Patel will lead a mammoth organisation with more than 30,000 employees, hundreds of offices nationwide and a sprawling mandate to investigate cases involving national security, terrorism and violent crimes. He replaces Christopher Wray, who Trump picked in 2017.

Roots in Gujarat

He traces his roots to Bhadran village in Gujarat's Anand district, from where his family migrated to Uganda 70 to 80 years ago, his community members said on Friday. Born in New York, Patel belongs to the Patidar community. Leaders of the Patidar community said all close family members of Patel are settled in foreign countries. They sold their ancestral houses in Bhadran once they shifted to Africa.

The new FBI chief served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller. He was responsible for leading the Secretary's mission at the Department, including his executive staff and providing counsel to him on all matters concerning its operations, the US Department of Defence's short biography on Kash Patel said.

A native of New York, Kash Patel completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond before returning to New York to earn his law degree, along with a Certificate in International Law from University College London Faculty of Laws in the United Kingdom.

Kash Patel, a trained lawyer, is an ice-hockey fan and has been playing the sport since he was six.